For decades, Microsoft's various divisions seemed more like fiefdoms. But Shum's diplomatic role as its recently promoted design chief is to unite the tribes and forge a culture of customer-centric collaboration.
"You know how Manhattan has its distinct boroughs but all together they feel like New York City — that's what we're aiming for," says Shum, 46, who sat down with USA TODAY for his first major interview since assuming the post six months ago.
Shum made his mark internally by designing the Windows Phone's tiles, and his team's current coups include tweaking the user interface of the new SurfacePro 3 tablet and bringing a human-like feel to the company's hip, new, Siri-like voice-command assistant, Cortana.
|